Diageo included in Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index

Diageo is one of around 100 companies included in the 2018 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. The Index highlights the steps Diageo has taken and progress it has made in bringing about greater gender equality within the business as well as in the communities in which it operates.

Feature22 JAN 2018

The Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) has recognised Diageo for its performance and disclosure around gender equality. Diageo is one of 104 companies from ten different sectors to be included in the 2018 Index, which measures gender equality across a range of categories including internal company statistics, employee polices and external community support and engagement.

The overall score shows Diageo performing well as a result of our representation of women within the business, our policies to promote gender equality among our employees as well as our wider initiatives to ensure women are empowered throughout our supply chain and beyond.

Mairead Nayager, Global HR Director said:

“Successful businesses harness the benefits of a truly diverse and inclusive culture. Women currently make up 40% of our Executive Committee, 30% of our global senior leadership team and in April 2018 our Board will achieve gender parity when Ursula Burns joins the team. We have made great progress on gender equality in our business and have a clear ambition to deliver more.

“We also believe in empowering women throughout our value chain to play a full and equal role in society. Our women’s empowerment programmes have supported more than 300,000 women around the world directly – providing equal access to the skills and resources they need to build a better future for themselves.

“We welcome today’s Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for recognising the steps we have taken and for the insight it provides which we will use to foster greater gender equality within our company and the communities in which we operate.”

Promoting gender equality within the business:

Diageo scored highly for the overall representation of females within the business. Particular areas that were highlighted include the number and percentage of women on our Board as well as the percentage of female members of our Executive Committee.

The Index also recognised a number of policies in place that aim to foster a diverse and inclusive culture within our business, such as our maternity and paternity policies, training and development programmes, and the existence of Diageo’s Spirited Women employee network.

Promoting gender equality in the communities where we operate:

Our community programmes strive to empower women throughout our wider value chain to play an equal role in the economy and society, by providing access to the skills and resources they need to build a better future for themselves. To date, we have empowered more than 300,000 women and reached more than 1.7 million people indirectly. We also have a 5 year global partnership with the NGO CARE International UK. Together we aspire to address the root causes of gender inequality through a combination of research, community programmes and advocacy throughout the Diageo value chain.

Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg and Founding Chairman of the U.S. 30% Club said:

"We commend Diageo and the other 103 companies included in the 2018 GEI for their efforts to create work environments that support gender equality across a diverse range of industries. Their leadership sets an important example that will help all organizations innovate and navigate the growing demand for diverse and inclusive workplaces."

Those companies included on this year’s Index scored at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies.